Review
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Most people will never find a great psychiatrist or a
great Buddhist teacher, but Mark Epstein is both, and the wisdom
he imparts in Advice Not Given is an act of generosity and
compassion. The book is a tonic for the ailments of our time.
(Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of
'Commonwealth')
Mark Epstein's Advice Not Given continues his important,
fascinating work in exceptionally lucid language. It also offers
its readers a collection of fables, vignettes, and personal
revelations with the true capacity to rearrange one's
perspective, even change one's life. I suspect many of these
offerings will stay with me for the long haul, for which I'm very
grateful. (Maggie Nelson, New York Times bestselling author of
'The Argonauts')
Epstein's book of practical suggestions will leave readers
educated, inspired, and equipped with new tools for psychological
. (Publisher’s Weekly, starred review)
In Advice Not Given, Mark Epstein shares his remarkably practical
wisdom, borne of a brilliant interchange between the
fundamentals of Buddhism and the ins of psychotherapy. We
all can benefit from this advice, given here freely.
(Daniel Goleman, New York Times bestselling author of 'Altered
Traits' and 'Emotional Intelligence')
There are psychologists influenced by Buddhism and Buddhists
influenced by psychology, and then there is Mark
Epstein, whose deep and humane reflections on healing and
selfunderstanding weave these two great disciplines into a lovely
and nuanced whole. As in his other books, only this time more
personally and more passionately, Epstein in Advice Not Given
offers the reader a rare intelligence and honesty. A pleasure to
read and contemplate!
(orman Fischer, poet, Zen priest, author of 'What is Zen? Plain
Talk for a Beginner’s Mind')
An integrative pioneer who has done more than anyone to bridge
Buddhism with Western psychotherapy, Mark Epstein has now given
us a fine distillation of his work, exemplified by revealing
ins from his life and practice. Written in spare and elegant
prose, Advice Not Given urges us toward the discoveries and
unexpected sources of consolation that each tradition offers. A
memorable experience. (George Makari, author of 'Soul Machine:
The Invention of the Modern Mind')
Advice Not Given is a beautiful reminder of what matters;
, moving, inful, tender and tough. It invites me to
a wiser mind and an open heart. (Jack Kornfield, author of 'A
Path With Heart')
In times of strife, with a nation divided, and the dire
consequences of a warming world sweeping over our lives, Mark
Epstein is always there to provide us with a road for a
journey of transformation, a pilgrim's path where the goal is not
a place but a state of mind, not a destination but an all
embracing state of peace, salvation and liberation. He is
America's physician of the psyche, healer of the mind, avatar of
the heart.
(Wade Davis, author of 'The Serpent and the Rainbow')
Mark Epstein's Advice Not Given is a truly wonderful book-it held
me in its intelligent, kind, and lucid grip all the way through,
and gave me back to the world at the end a refreshing bit more
over myself. I can see Buddha and Freud smiling to each other,
pleased about what a gracious in their partnership in
mentoring Dr. Mark had enabled him to bring about and offer to us
all in such a work. I cannot recommend this work highly enough to
anyone who wants to take better notice of what makes human life
so exquisitely worthwhile. A true treasure of a guide to being
real. (Robert A. F. Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of
Buddhism at Columbia University, and author of 'Man of Peace: The
Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet')
Extraordinary. Mark Epstein does a remarkable job in bringing
together the traditions of Buddhism and psychotherapy into an
immensely useful book for our time. (Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot of
Upaya Zen Center, and author of 'Being with Dying: Cultivating
Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death')
About the Author
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Dr Mark Epstein is a psychiatrist in private practice
in New York City and the author of a number of books about the
interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including The Trauma of
Everyday Life, Thoughts without a Thinker and Going to Pieces
without Falling Apart. He received his undergraduate and medical
degrees from Harvard University. www.markepsteinmd.com